The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Seaside]

Hello, all. I'm back after a 3-day migraine that has left me a bit weak and out of it. It had nothing to do with Medifast, I just get these 1-2 times a month and sometimes they last less than a day and others are marathons.

So -- what's been happening? Guess I'd better start reading. I know I need to catch a ride on the 14-Day Commitment Train (3 days late, but hey).

[Jan]

Oh My Goooodness,
Migraines certainly are NO fun at all.. Hopefully they will subside somewhat the longer you are on MF. I had them too.... always knew when the dang thing was coming.. but since being on program ... GONE
Whooo Hoooo
jan

[Seaside]

Oh really??? Cool. Maybe it's all the soy, what do you think?

Hm. More incentive to stick with the 14-Day Compliance Challenge!

[Mike]

Di has had migraines (really bad ones) all of her life. Some would last a day, others would be one after another. Lots of triggers (MSG, Red wine, flashing lights, etc).
She's taken high powered medications, tried lots of things. Last year she was out 14 days one from work.
Then she began Medifast. Since then she is down to maybe one big one a month, with other smaller ones periodically, but nothing like before.
Yea Medifast

[Seaside]

Oh, poor thing! I feel her pain -- literally. The only thing that works for me is to sleep them off, which is hard to do when one has multiple commitments. If MF will help me with the migraines, that would be icing on the fat-free cake!

[KeleeGrl]

I remember as a kid my mother having migraines. She would get us 3 girls in the car and drive the Dr.'s office to get a shot of Demerol, leave there, go through the McDonald's drive thru so we could eat dinner, and she always got sick to her stomach on the way home...never new if it was the medication or the smell of Mickey D's. Anyways, she ended up having acupuncture treatments and she hasn't had a migraine ever since.

[bikipatra]

I remember as a kid my mother having migraines. She would get us 3 girls in the car and drive the Dr.'s office to get a shot of Demerol, leave there, go through the McDonald's drive thru so we could eat dinner, and she always got sick to her stomach on the way home...never new if it was the medication or the smell of Mickey D's. Anyways, she ended up having acupuncture treatments and she hasn't had a migraine ever since.

She was driving around after a shot of Demerol? Hope it was a small one. No offense, it is just fairly heavy duty in its sedative effects. I was given it during my colonoscopy and did not react well.

[KeleeGrl]

Trust me, she wasn't driving around. lol...I don't think it effected her like it would me or you...she had to get them so often, I think they only charged her $5 a shot and it wasn't one that knocked her out. I don't know how she did it, but she did.

[tlp1203]

Has anyone tried Imitrex, Relpax, or Maxalt? Those all work well for me.. within an hour my migraine is GONE!

[Diana]

Seaside, I feel your pain!! Mine usually last about 18-72 hours, also, if left untreated. And it takes a while to get your feet afterward, doesn't it? I keep hoping that menopause will hit and take care of the monthly marathons.

I don't know Relpex. I tried the Maxalt (as well as Midrin, Cafergot and some other designer thing they came out with in the mid '90s), but it made me a lot more sleepy than Imitrex, so I asked my doctor if I could go back to that. The nasal spray never really worked well for me. The shots are great, but they hurt. The tablets are good when they work (and they seem to work better now than they did).

Sometimes, though, there's just no stopping the train. So, I've got other pain meds for the times when I just have to sleep through it (name your color, shape and size!). There was a period of time when I was going to the emergency room/urgent care on a somewhat regular basis. I've also been on a slew of preventatives, most of them antidepressants (never tried the Botox, though). And I've done the herbal route. And chiropractic, biofeedback, physical therapy (got this home traction thingy)... And you wouldn't believe my collection of ice wraps. Used to have a collection of eye masks, too, but a cool, dark colored wash cloth or hand towel does just fine.

The best thing that's happened to me regarding these migraines, though, is this program. I missed 14 days in the first semester of school last year. After starting the Take Shape for Life program with the Medifast products, and getting through the 2-day whammer at the start, I've only had really, really bad, multi-day migraines when I've gone off plan...or when I've gotten hurt. (Part of mine are caused by arthritis in my spine -- in addition to that, however, my doctor and I found about 8 pages of triggers after going through the headache clinic.) This last semester, I think I only missed a day and a half total for illnesses -- all migraine related. What a difference!!

I still have periods of time when I get a bunch of "little" ones, and carry a pill cutter with me now since smaller doses seem to do the trick.

Other things that work for me in addition to the cool, dark, quiet room and meds:

Icy Hot on my neck, shoulders and back
Something really spicy (for example, about half a tsp of red pepper flakes in one of the soups)
Massage
Caffeine (anyone who's had migraines any amount of time has figured that double edged sword out, huh?)
Ice on my head, neck, upper back
Mint (shampoo, tea, oil of same on a cotton ball, whatever works)
flat shoes, loose clothing, no jewelry

I also avoid environmental triggers like the plague and let others around me know what I'm sensitive to (perfume -- can't be in the same room much less hug some people; flashes of light -- I sit with my back to the windows when we go out and wear my sunglasses IN the movie theater).

Hang in there, Seaside. Hopefully, you'll start realizing some of the relief that I have while on this program. ((((((((hugs)))))))))

[bikipatra]

Diana, you have been through the wringer! I am so glad you have found some relief through Medifast.

[Seaside]

Thanks, Diana!! I've heard that once you go through menopause the migraines start going away. I'm not that anxious to go through it, but it's inevitable, I suppose. I use a Chinese medicine called EAGLE OIL on my temples to help with the pain and nausea, and a cool cloth over the eyes works well. My massage therapist says that if you put something warm on your feet and a cool cloth at your neck, it also helps. This isn't too do-able at work.

I think that my health overall will be improved by this plan!

All my best to you and thank you for the advice and commiseration.